Pragmatic

As the days and weeks grind on, people are starting to feel restless.  In the northern hemisphere, winter has loosened its grip and people are wanting to be out and about.  For folk struggling with staying home, comes the question - how are you managing the pandemic?

I'm not having a particularly difficult time of it, in no small part due to my circumstances which allow me the privilege of actually staying home while Doug does all the out of the house errands.  But even he is beginning to limit his time out of the house.  We have the promise of masks and I expect that he will begin wearing one when he goes out as restrictions in our town begin to ease.

But basically I am quite pragmatic.  I see roses.  I enjoy their scent, their colours, but am also abundantly aware that they come with thorns.  Do the thorns make me enjoy them less?  No, I just acknowledge that the thorns are there and take measures to avoid them.

The Oxford Concise English Dictionary defines pragmatic as:  dealing with matters according to their practical significance or immediate importance.  (there are other nuances to the meaning of the word, but this is the one that is applicable to this post.)

So if I were to label how I am dealing with the pandemic, it would be pragmatic acceptance.

I accept that we are living in the time of Covid-19, where we have no herd immunity because the virus is 'novel' (so new no one's immune system has seen it before), no cure and no vaccine.

I accept that I am compromised and should I contract the virus could well die, and if not die, be made very ill from it.  Some people who have recovered say that their bodies are compromised for weeks afterwards and no one really knows how long that will go on, or the long term impact it will have on their lives and ability to return to what was 'normal' prior to having it.

I accept that the best course of action for me is to stay out of the cross hairs of the virus, so I am staying at home other than to walk in my neighbourhood for a little physical exercise and fresh air, maintaining physical distance from others.  When I pass others on the road, I smile, nod, return greetings.

I accept that there is no way to know how long this will last and that no one knows what society will look like when it is 'over'.

I am not 'giving up' but taking a pragmatic look at what needs to be done and how best to do it.

Right now my best plan is to stay home but keep active - which means keep weaving and walking when the weather permits. 

I accept that the classes I was booked to teach have been cancelled or postponed and that the postponed classes may also be cancelled.  Am I happy about this?  No, but I accept that it is necessary should a second wave happen as restrictions loosen.

The leader of the cancer support group that I attend commented that people with chronic health issues like us are probably uniquely equipped to deal with the self isolation because we need to pay attention to things like this all the time.  I have had to deal with self-isolating on several occasions, although previously the restriction was just on me - I could still have company.  But the internet provides interaction and communication and how I am living my life right now isn't terribly different from what I was doing during those times.  I have had practice at staying home, not going anywhere that isn't necessary.

All of this coping on my part doesn't make someone else's difficulty in coping a character flaw.  People need to figure out what works for them and how to get through this time.

The first priority is to survive.  Some people are posting memes saying that just surviving isn't enough.  I'm here to say that this is our only priority right now.  Survive. 

Mark Lawrence is an author I follow on Twitter.  He has written many books and has a way with words that I find compelling.  This morning a quote was posted on Twitter to the effect that we need to keep punching me-shaped holes in the days.

My goal is to keep punching me-shaped holes in my days.  Survive.  We'll figure out what comes next 'after'.